Air-ship.



J. A. RIGNON. AIR SHIP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 26, 1909. 932,999.

Patented Aug. 31, 1909.

UNITED sra'rns ra rnur onrion.

JOSEPH ALBERT RIGNON, OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

Ara- H P.

Specification of Letters Patent. .Patented Aug. 31, 1909.

Application filed March 25', 1909. Serial No. 485,795.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, J osnrrr ALBERT RIG- NON, a subject of the King ofItaly, and a resident of 160 Berlinerstrasse, Gross-Lichterfelde-Ost,near Berlin, Germany, have in-,

vented certain new and useful Improvements relating to-Air-Ships, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in air-ships and has for itsobject to effect economy in the space required for the propellingmachinery and reduction of the atten-tion required to be devoted by theaeronaut to the handling of the air-ship.

machinery on the. platform, the upper bal- I loon or aerial floatingbody being removed.

In carrying the invention into effect according to the form illustratedthe balloon or gas bag 3 is of the elongated shape illustrated, andtravels in the direction of the arrow 4. Within the balloon or gas bag 3there is arrafiged the ballonet 5 which, as is known, helps to preservethe shape of the balloon even during long journeys. The ballonet' 5 isarranged over a bottom 6 and this bottom 6 has one 'or several holes 7at its fore end. At the aft-end of the plate 6,

holes 8 are provided. The holes 7 and 8 are continually open and theholes 7 are of considerably greater cross section than the holes 8; -Inthis way air, during traveling, enters through the holes 7 and owing tothe small area ofthe exit at the holes 8 a certain amount of tension isobtained within the ballo net 5 which is sufficient to causethisballonet' automatically to retain its form.

Bf:- providing open holes 7 and 8 fore and a of the bottom 6 in thisway. not only is there a certain degree of pressure maintained withinthe ballonet but this pressure is automatically regulated *as any 1excessive pres-- sure within the ballonet is impossible owing to theopen holes which thereby'act assafety valves. The dangers encountered byan inclosed body of air which was subjected to various temperatures aretherefore avoided and less attention by the aeronaut is required inhandling the air ship. a

If desired the pressure within the ballonet 5 may be increased by meansof an air-propelling organ 5) arranged within a casing 10 disposedbefore the opening 7; thus when traveling with the wind or when owing toothenreasons a suflicient pressure is not antomatically obtained by theforward motion of. the airship the propeller 9 -may' be started. Thispropeller is diagrammatically illustratedcand may be of any convenientform and driven for instance by anelectric motor. r

' Supported from the aerial body 3 there is a frame 11 carrying aplatform 12. The platform 12 accommodates the passengers and also thepropelling, steering and other machinery required. The steering andother machinery has been omitted from the drawing as the same forms nopart of the present invention. Y

Pipes 13 arranged in the fore and aft direction of the air ship aresupported by the frame 11. The pipes. 13 are preferably arranged asshown close to the bottom of the balloon. These pipes are then bentdownward at 14 and then at right angles at 15 so as to enter axially thecasing'of an air propelling organ. may be of. any convenient type suchas a cellular pump, single or multi-stage or a fan of the Sirocco-typeor the like. For the purpose of illustration a Sirocco-fan is K shown.This type of fan, as is well known, contains a large number of short andbroad blades and its power may be increased within certain limitsbyincreasing the breadth of the blades. From the casing 16 of the airpropelling organ the pipes or conduits 17 IISQtOWtII'd the bottom of theballoon. The conduits 17 are then continued at 18 along the bottom ofthe balloon in the fore and aft direction of travel. It will be'seenthat the conduits 17,18 after leaving the umps 1 6 are closer togetherthan the consuits 13 and in fact come within the region of, the rudder19 whereby the steering may The air propelling. organ be assisted. Thepumps 16 are conveniently mounted co-axially and driven by means of amotor 20. With this arrangement the air passes through the pipes 13 inthe direction of the arrows v, and is driven through the pipes 17 and18, as shown by the arrows 21.

The advantage of arranging the air propelling organ in. the bends 15 isthat the power of the pumps or air-propelling 0rgans 16 may be increasedby increasing their axial length Without increasing their diameter. Thismethod of increasing the power and obtaining any desired degree ofpressure not possible when an air propelling organ is arranged in astraight length of piping as hitherto known. The frame and plat form 12may be provided with Wheels 22 by which said frame and platform may betransported from place to place on land.

I claim p 1. In combination in an aerial floating body, a'gas bag and aballonet having free openings therein at the fore and aft-ends in thedirection of travel of said aerial body,

the openings at the fore end being of greater cross section than theopenings at the rear end.

2. In combination in an aerial floating body, agas bag, a ballonethaving free openings therein at the front and rear ends in the directionof travel of said aerial body, the openings at the frontend being ofgreater cross section than the openings at the rear end, and an air-proelling organ opposite the openings at the ront end.

Signed at Berlin, German Empire this 13th day of March 1909.

JOSEPH ALBERT RIGNON.

Witnesses HENRY HASPER, "VOLDEMAR HAUPr

